Speaker 1: Thirty you know our thirty mile prior winds, snow blowing around,
Speaker 1: and so it would.
Speaker 2: It was a delight to be up.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm served people would have flocked to the ice rink.
Speaker 1: So with that, we were open one hundred and sixty
Speaker 1: six public hours to the public. We did like twenty
Speaker 1: three private parties on the days that we aren't open
Speaker 1: when kids are in school. That those first three weeks
Speaker 1: Monday through thursdays, it's not that busy and so I
Speaker 1: don't know. A few years back we started doing private
Speaker 1: parties on those nights and that's worked out really well.
Speaker 1: We had some really big private parties and it's just
Speaker 1: fun for companies individuals to be able to do that.
Speaker 1: So anyway, it hosted twenty three of those. We had
Speaker 1: hockey on Saturday mornings with kids. Just it was a
Speaker 1: really good season. And that can only say it is
Speaker 1: because of our sponsors, and I don't have time to
Speaker 1: go through all of them, but I do want to
Speaker 1: give a shout out to our four lead ones because
Speaker 1: it would not happen without some serious lead sponsors, and
Speaker 1: that would be perspective advisors. Shlley Coster, the Coster team
Speaker 1: from Keller Williams Reality and RSU and ABB Wow. So
Speaker 1: those four companies really make it happen and we really
Speaker 1: really appreciate them.
Speaker 2: So now, we had a lot of people at that
Speaker 2: opening night and I noticed because I was down there
Speaker 2: watching the kids sing the carols and watching the big
Speaker 2: count down to the light end of the tree.
Speaker 3: We had a lot of people.
Speaker 1: Maria with Visit Bartlesville has the little geo tracker, you know,
Speaker 1: placer whatever it's called, and she I know, it's like, ooh,
Speaker 1: how that work. It's beyond my pay grade. Anyhow, there
Speaker 1: was over two thousand people downtown and that's just during
Speaker 1: that three hour period. So and of those, fourteen hundred
Speaker 1: of them were from outside of ten mile radius. So
Speaker 1: that was exciting. So we're excited about that because we
Speaker 1: send school flyers. We print about fifteen thousand, five hundred
Speaker 1: school flyers that go in kids' backpacks, not just in Bartlesville,
Speaker 1: but regional I mean south of US Collinsville, Skiatook, you know,
Speaker 1: obviously Southeast Kansas because we love our Kansas folks. And
Speaker 1: so anyhow, it advertised the whole festival, but it promoted
Speaker 1: opening night as well, and so it's just fun to
Speaker 1: have a good turnout like that.
Speaker 2: Mike Goodness. It showed too that folks were just so
Speaker 2: ready for that.
Speaker 1: Well it's fun. This was the first year. We were nervous.
Speaker 1: We weren't sure, but our ice rint guys always said
Speaker 1: that we miss out and not being open Thanksgiving, so
Speaker 1: we decided to try it, and we opened Saturday after Thanksgiving,
Speaker 1: which usually we opened like a week later, and so
Speaker 1: it definitely we were up like over sixty percent on
Speaker 1: opening night from previous years, so it definitely proved. You know,
Speaker 1: while we did lose some because some people are still
Speaker 1: out of town visiting families, we also had families that
Speaker 1: were in town visiting people here, so I don't know,
Speaker 1: we came out ahead, so we were excited about that.
Speaker 1: This is always a nursing tidbit. I mean, our concessions
Speaker 1: was hopping. They did over over two hot chocolates per
Speaker 1: minute I saw. I mean they just throw four people
Speaker 1: in that little trailer and one was doing nothing but
Speaker 1: string hot chocolate just the entire night. That's all they did.
Speaker 1: I mean, just all four were just solid standing there,
Speaker 1: not I mean just doing one was just doing popcorn
Speaker 1: all night.
Speaker 2: I mean, so it was.
Speaker 1: It was just an interesting tidbit. But two hot chocolates
Speaker 1: permnt a little over too hot chocolates per minute, so.
Speaker 2: That's an interesting statu it was.
Speaker 1: This is kind of one of those bizarre little factoids.
Speaker 1: It's kind of fun to hear. But anyhow, So anyhow,
Speaker 1: it's behind us until next season and we'll hopefully get
Speaker 1: some dates and all that nailed down. We plan to
Speaker 1: do the same basic schedule as this year and just
Speaker 1: looking forward to the new season.
Speaker 2: All right, speaking of the new season, let's take a
Speaker 2: quick break. Can't get to the new season right here
Speaker 2: at GAT one?
Speaker 3: Is it time to start thinking about a new car.
Speaker 3: But the thought of dealing with the large dealerships is
Speaker 3: just too intimidating, too confusing. There is an easier way,
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Speaker 3: confusing games a large dealerships play. Tall Grass Motors has
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Speaker 3: over sixty used cars, trucks and SUVs, all priced to
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Speaker 4: Pre needs are completely transferable in the United States from
Speaker 4: funeral home to funeral home, and in Oklahoma that's especially
Speaker 4: true without any penalty at all. For instance, if you
Speaker 4: decide you're going to retire and move to another state,
Speaker 4: and you find a funeral home that you're comfortable with elsewhere,
Speaker 4: you can take that already set up pre need that
Speaker 4: you have at funeral home A and transfer to funeral
Speaker 4: home being there's no problem doing that.
Speaker 1: Tim Howell, Arnold Moore and Decamped funeral Home.
Speaker 4: Sixty seventy years ago, Bob Farmer died. Joe business owner noon,
Speaker 4: Joe business owner hung a sign that said close for
Speaker 4: the funeral of Bob Farmer back at three pm. Hung
Speaker 4: it on his door, closed his door. No one would
Speaker 4: steal that sign. He would go to the funeral, as
Speaker 4: would many of Bob's friends. Now, if you're a grandson,
Speaker 4: you have to have proof that Grandpa died so you
Speaker 4: can get paid for that day of leave. I've said
Speaker 4: it one hundred times. Death is an inconvenience to twenty
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Speaker 2: Welcome back to our community connection we have sure we
Speaker 2: will with us and she's with a greater Bartlefield Chamber
Speaker 2: of Commerce. We wrapped up Christmas in the Ville and
Speaker 2: what a big success that was. We've got a big
Speaker 2: successful year ahead of us. We do. We got a
Speaker 2: big Monday too, No February short. There's a lot of action.
Speaker 1: There is a lot of things going on in February.
Speaker 1: I just left a training that we have going on
Speaker 1: right now with Ironwod Business Consulting and it was lonely
Speaker 1: at the top talking about you know, leadership and that,
Speaker 1: and so we had a crowd for that and it's
Speaker 1: a free event for our members to take advantage of.
Speaker 1: That's one of our mission that has been able to
Speaker 1: provide things for business, business owners your employees and training
Speaker 1: is one of them. And so anyhow that that is
Speaker 1: happening as we speak, had about out early for that one,
Speaker 1: but the next Thursday is our we'll be back on.
Speaker 1: We've missed December obviously, we don't do it in December,
Speaker 1: and then January we didn't have one because of the timing.
Speaker 1: But it's Business after hours and it's going to be
Speaker 1: at O Sage Casino and hotel, the new one just
Speaker 1: whatever direction, just a little bit to the west of town.
Speaker 2: To the west of the airport.
Speaker 1: We're just facility, a beautiful, beautiful and so anyhow, this
Speaker 1: after ours will be there. That is a free event
Speaker 1: for our members. It's a great way to just connect
Speaker 1: meet some new folks. It's just this is fun event.
Speaker 1: It's from Florida about five five thirty. It's casino. You
Speaker 1: may want to day later, but anyhow, they had to
Speaker 1: a man, they did a beautiful spread last year. They
Speaker 1: really showcase their their catering side of things, and it's
Speaker 1: just it's a fun evening. So that is next Thursday,
Speaker 1: February sixth, and then February eighteenth, or to get back
Speaker 1: into we were doing this on a monthly basis, even
Speaker 1: there's a couple of months where we did it twice.
Speaker 1: But pastries and perks and that is our pastries are
Speaker 1: from the eatery, thank you Annie Salzman, and nothing else.
Speaker 1: You'll get a good pastry. But it's it's basically just
Speaker 1: going through I always say it's fifty slides. I don't
Speaker 1: know if it's fifty, but it's very quick, but just
Speaker 1: benefits of chamber membership, things you can take advantage of.
Speaker 1: I mean, there's some things that are obvious people know,
Speaker 1: but there's a lot of slides in there that people like,
Speaker 1: oh I didn't know that, okay, well, and so many
Speaker 1: of them are free. They may be minor, simple things,
Speaker 1: but they're just things that businesses can take advantage of.
Speaker 1: And so we encourage obviously new members. Anyone that's even
Speaker 1: thinking remotely, you know, maybe joining the chamber or what
Speaker 1: the heck is a chamber, please come, we invite you.
Speaker 1: You don't have to be a member in fact, it's
Speaker 1: really designed well, it's designed for both. It's designed for
Speaker 1: people who have been members for a long time, maybe
Speaker 1: leadership's changed or you know whatever. And so that is
Speaker 1: a free event again for our members or like I said,
Speaker 1: non members too, but just gives a good overview of
Speaker 1: the chamber and are a lot of perks that you
Speaker 1: can take advantage of as a Chamber member to help
Speaker 1: out your business. So that is coming up on February
Speaker 1: the eighteenth. The next day, February nineteenth, is our Women
Speaker 1: in Business Luncheon series and it's on strategies for explosive
Speaker 1: no no, no. This one is on how to grow
Speaker 1: your business without losing your mind.
Speaker 2: That's always a good thing.
Speaker 1: So and I live into business. This year has really
Speaker 1: been great. Attendance has been hovering around one hundred, anywhere
Speaker 1: between ninety and one hundred, and so it's been it's
Speaker 1: been fun. The ladies like it. It's a great way
Speaker 1: to connect, a great way to meet new people. It's
Speaker 1: once a month. It's at hillcrist Country Club, and we
Speaker 1: do need reservations for that because obviously it involves lunch.
Speaker 1: It's twenty five dollars. But it's just a great way
Speaker 1: to connect. It's a great way to hear some professional development.
Speaker 1: You know, sometimes you just walk out you're remotivated. But anyhow,
Speaker 1: that is coming up on February nineteenth, so and then
Speaker 1: February twenty six will end in the month with Hot Topics,
Speaker 1: which is going on right now, like I said, the Chamber,
Speaker 1: and this one is on strategies for explosive growth. So
Speaker 1: I mean, we had some tips strategies ways to grow
Speaker 1: your business.
Speaker 2: Very good.
Speaker 1: So lot's going on, I would shame, and then I'll
Speaker 1: be March, and then it'll be spring and we done
Speaker 1: with this cold weather and hope we'll have an ice
Speaker 1: rink out of our parking lot by thee hopefully this
Speaker 1: next week it'll be gone. But yeah, it's like I
Speaker 1: can't believe it. I mean, like I said, I can't
Speaker 1: believe it's almost February. So but lot's going on. Back
Speaker 1: to all our regular programming. We will be sending out
Speaker 1: late February, will be starting to seek nominations for annual
Speaker 1: awards in Gala, which will be May fifteenth, and we
Speaker 1: do community awards there and so we'll be seeking nominations
Speaker 1: for that, so be looking for that information also in February,
Speaker 1: I should say this, Actually it started this week. The
Speaker 1: legislature obviously starts meeting first Monday in February, which I
Speaker 1: think this year's February third. We will start sending out
Speaker 1: our legislative updates to our members. And it is just
Speaker 1: a really easy to read newsletter. Very it's put down
Speaker 1: in simple terms, and it just bills that we're tracking
Speaker 1: and watching that pertain the business. I always tell people
Speaker 1: we don't really track the social issues because people are
Speaker 1: all over the map on those, but when it comes
Speaker 1: to business issues, most businesses are on the same page.
Speaker 1: And so we watched last year, we tracked over about
Speaker 1: two hundred bills and just kind of followed and watched them,
Speaker 1: and it's just an update of where they're at, what's
Speaker 1: going on, you know this this week the House bills
Speaker 1: are you know, are in House committee and just explains
Speaker 1: the process too to members because a lot of people
Speaker 1: don't really understand the whole process. And then just a
Speaker 1: status of itment passed out a committee, it'll be going
Speaker 1: over to the Senate committee next week or you know whatever.
Speaker 1: You know, the timing of what's happening. We get a
Speaker 1: lot of real positive feedback on the newsletter, so that
Speaker 1: will be going on. It goes out through February through
Speaker 1: the last Friday in May. So that's another a nice
Speaker 1: benefit for our members, just be able to keep track
Speaker 1: what's going on kind of in a nutshell.
Speaker 2: So very good. Yeah, you know the traffic pattern there
Speaker 2: in Oklahoma City, it's it's a wild one, but it
Speaker 2: is a process.
Speaker 1: It is a process, and.
Speaker 2: It's a flow chart, and you can get tied knuts.
Speaker 2: But I'm glad that you guys simplified it.
Speaker 1: We do.
Speaker 2: I mean you do. I mean I've seen the newsletters
Speaker 2: before you and it's it's really easy, matter of fact.
Speaker 2: And you know, there's there's no.
Speaker 1: Well you're not reading, you know, pages for the bill.
Speaker 1: It's just in a nutshell, here's what it is, here's
Speaker 1: what's going on summary, and some you know, some like
Speaker 1: industries aren't maybe it's not your specific industry. But let's
Speaker 1: take healthcare for example. If something's going down in healthcare,
Speaker 1: more than likely somehow that is going to lead out
Speaker 1: and affect your business, you know, depends, you know, whether
Speaker 1: it's your employees, your whatever. But so I can't say
Speaker 1: that every single bill where tracking is going to affect
Speaker 1: your particular business, but overall it's their industries bills that
Speaker 1: have to do with you know, the business industry. So anyhow,
Speaker 1: we're just back at it and just love the community
Speaker 1: and love our members for being with absolutely we appreciate
Speaker 1: you all, Thank you so much